Anesthesia in the Form of Audiovisual Distraction for a Child Requiring Surgery With End-Stage Cardiomyopathy: A Case Report.

Anesthetizing children with extreme cardiopulmonary illness can be especially challenging. In adults, a host of alternatives to general anesthesia for the labile patient are available, However, in children, these techniques may be challenging due to a lack of patient cooperation. Distraction techniques have been successfully used to reduce procedural pain. The patient whose case is reported here required surgery for inguinal hernia repair after repeated bowel incarceration. Due to severe end-stage cardiomyopathy, the risk of general anesthesia was deemed excessive. Distraction was used to usher the patient through an awake caudal block for avoidance of general anesthesia.